FluidMath – Maths Handwriting Recognition for the IWB
FluidMath is maths-based handwriting recognition software. It enables teachers and students to easily create, solve, graph and animate math and physics problems all in their own handwriting on any brand of interactive whiteboard or on a tablet PC. I also had it working very well with a Wacom graphics tablet when I tested the software this morning.
The software enables math teachers and students to easily create graphs and tables using their own handwriting. FluidMath graphs and makes tables for implicitly defined functions (like x=y2), relations, discrete functions (like the Fibonacci Sequence), parametric functions, and more!
The handwriting recognition software is pretty powerful, and deals with maths equations better than the built in ones for Smart and Promethean boards. I’d love to see it tweaked slightly to be able to cope with science formulae too.
It was very quick and easy to write a maths function, and convert it into a graph.
If you want to use equations in other software such as Microsoft Word you can simply write the expression in your own handwriting and paste it into a Word document. Equations are copied as MathML, Latex or as an image. You could combine Fluid Math with your regular IWB software such as Smart Notebook or ActivInspire – switch out to Fluid Maths to generate graphs and equations, and then copy/paste back into the IWB software later.
See more on the Fluid Maths YouTube channel.
The software is not free, licences start from around $100 per year per computer. You can download a free trial of Fluid Math here, and see if it’s something you want to spend money on. I can see it being a very useful piece of software in many maths departments.
If you’ve tried it, let me know what you think of it in the comments below!
Read More
The TTS Bee-Bot app for iPad/iPod
The new Bee-Bot App from TTS Group has been developed based on thier much-loved, Bee-Bot floor robot. The app makes use of Bee-Bot’s keypad functionality and enables children to improve their skills in directional language and programming through sequences of forwards, backwards, left and right 90 degree turns. The app is for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and is totally free.
The app has been developed with 12 levels encouraging progression. Each level is timed and the faster it is completed the more stars you get! The levels are set in a cute little garden scenario and will appeal from age 4 upwards. I’d recommend it for KS1
It’s a fun little game, and mimics the process of giving simple instructions to move the bee-bot around the floor and turns it into a fun puzzle game. Only changes I’d suggest would be a way to see/review the set of instructions before you set the bee-bot off on its journey.
It’s an excellent free app, and I highly recommend it! Download it from iTunes here.
Read More
Valentine’s Day Heart Resources for Science Lessons
It’s Valentine’s day, and as our thoughts turn to matters of the heart, here’s a stack of useful links to resources all about the heart to use in science lessons.
This resource from The Wellcome Trust provides some interactive activities, and lesson resources for teaching about the heart and the effect of exercise. Lots of other body resources there too.
An excellent animation, and still one of my favourites, which shows what happens as the heart beats. HyperHeart shows bloodflow, aortic/ventricular volumes and pressures present in a normal cardiac cycle. Also included are an electrocardiogram and heart sounds graph. Tutorials are provided for each phase of the cycle.
Habits of the Heart was developed as a resource for students and teachers interested in learning about the cardiovascular and circulatory systems. The site includes lesson plans, on-line interactive activities and videos about the heart along with other links and ideas for the classroom. Some great images of heart surgery!
This interactive resource lets you explore the human body, including the heart, in great detail. You do need a modern browser for this to work, older versions of Internet Explorer won’t work.
The British Heart Foundation produces resources for schools covering the heart and heart disease. Visit their site to find out how to get hold of copies. Also check out their YHeart site for teenagers with resources for teaching about keeping fit and healthy.
The Freezeray website has a nice little activity for labelling the parts of the heart that would work well on an IWB
Hybrid HeartThe Hybrid Interactive Heart is an exploration into the various and novel ways a beating heart may be visually represented using the latest technology. In this case you have the the ability to blend and even replace the “normal” opaque tissue with refractory “glass,” allowing for a view of the valves and chambers. There is a link to a nice animation of a beating heart too.
This site has some good information about the heart, with diagrams and images. Also lots about the other body systems and organs too.
This animation focuses on the gross anatomy of the human heart. The model of the heart is semitransparent, allowing you to see through the thick cardiac muscle into the four heart chambers.
Other Valentine’s Day resources.
For less scientifict, and more romantic resources you can also find a Valentine’s Day resource pack on Promethean Planet which includes 36 resources to develop flipcharts with a Valentine’s Day theme. You will find images, backgrounds and page templates including two voting templates. Note: Cupids are anatomically correct! No fig leaf provided.
Also don’t forget that word cloud generators such as Tagxedo can make heart shaped word clouds, which could make for a fun visual piece. The one below was made from the words on the wikipedia page about the heart.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Read More
Lend Me Your Literacy – collaborative projects
Lendmeyourliteracy.org is a very interesting online resource base for teachers and students of Literacy. It’s billed as a one stop website for examples of good pieces of literacy work written by children and not just models written in a text book.
Teachers can use these pieces of work for moderation purposes and an aid to good teaching, inspiring children to believe…
Teachers can pick the very best examples of literacy work in their class and upload them to the lendmeyourliteracy website. This work can then be seen by schools nationwide as part of the lendmeyourliteracy network. Teachers can also upload examples of everyday literacy such as application forms, personal statements and letters to support Skills for Employment for Adults.
It’s a really interesting idea, and if you’re looking for some new ideas for teaching literacy (or want to share some of your own)it’s well worth taking some time to look at their resources.
Take a look at : http://lendmeyourliteracy.org/
Thanks to Lara Savory (@reallara) for the link via twitter.
Read More
Promethean Science and Technology User Group
Thanks to Promethean for making me a “SuperUser” of their Promethean Planet website. What this means is that I’ll hopefully be putting up a few blog posts on their website once or twice a month, making and sharing some whiteboard resources and generally hanging about a bit more on the Promethean Planet forums.
What this also means is that I’ve set up a special User Group on the Promethean Planet website which will discuss the use of technology in science education. I’m hoping that some of you will join!
The purpose of this group is to enhance the teaching and learning of Science through the use of digital technologies such as whiteboards, but also datalogging, visualisers, Learner Response devices, interactive websites, science videos, science software and more.
You don’t have to own a Promethean product to join Promethean Planet and take part in any of the user groups. To visit the Science user group, and also see some of the other user groups on the website, click here. There are user groups on lots of other topics.
Don’t forget that the Promethean Planet website is home to thousands of lesson resources – not just Promethean flipchart files, there are powerpoints, worksheets, lesson plans and more. It’s well worth a look, and it’s free to join!
Read More
New and Updated Scale of the Universe Tool
There’s a great new Scale of the Universe tool from the people who brought you the original Scale of the Universe tool that I wrote about last year.
This one is clickable – and tells you a litle more about the different planets and objects you can see as you drag the slider to view bigger or smaller objects.
I loved the original version, but this one is even better. Will work really well on an IWB in a science lesson.
Take a look at http://www.htwins.net/scale2/
Read More
Selenia – Science Investigation Comics for KS3
Here’s a great little comic book resource for science that I’d blogged about ages ago and then completely forgotten about. Selenia is a school girl from another planet. Her adventures have been turned into a comic book, and can be used to teach about Science Investigations and Materials.
There are now 10 comics on the site which can be viewed on an IWB, or printed off for individual use.
There are also games such as word searches and quizzes. Throughout the comics are questions posed by the characters which would be useful as discussion starters.
The teachers section provides guidance on how to use the cartoons as a way of introducing practical science investigations such as dissolving and air resistance. PDF worksheets are available which are ready to use with your class.
Maybe students could then use a comic creation tool to explain their results?
Produced by The University of the West of England, these resources are suitable for KS3 Science (11 – 14 year olds)
Visit Selenia here, and see what you think!
Thanks to Ian (@teachingofsci) for reminding me of this resource via Twitter.
Read More
Futurecade – online games from the Science Museum
The Science Museum has launched a suite of online games designed to raise questions about the future of medicine, robotics and technology. Their ‘Futurecade‘ features four titles exploring topics such as geo-engineering and synthetic biology.
Futurecade‘s four games – Bacto-Lab, Robo-Lobster, Cloud Control and Space Junker – are based on scientific research happening today. Use them as a stimulus to engage your students in a fun, interactive way, and get them thinking about how technology might impact on their future.
For example, in Batco-Lab, players must engineer their own E.coli bacteria to make useful products, while making sure that no harmful mutant bacteria are accidentally unleashed on the world. Cloud Control, allows students to guide Flettner ships which brighten clouds so they reflect sunlight and lower the Earth’s temperature.
Futurecade can support the teaching of How Science Works and help your students consider the applications and implications of science.
Teaching resources are also available, and can be found here, including science background notes and teacher briefing notes.
Take a look at http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/futurecade to play the games. And if you haven’t seen the other great resources on the Science Museum site, visit their teacher resource area and take a look!
Read More
Desmos Interactive Graphing Calculator
I’ve written about Desmos before – they are developing some very interesting online whiteboard software which is still currently in beta.
But while we’re waiting for the full release, Desmos have released something else they’ve been working on as a side project, and thats their Desmos Calculator, available at www.abettercalculator.com
You can very quickly enter equations using a combination of the keyboard and the pop up equation builder. The lines immediately appear on the graph. Change the equation and see the change in the line straight away. Or layer multiple lines on the same graph.
Here’s what Desmos had to say about it:
We set out to reimagine the graphing calculator from the ground up, building on the best technologies available. This is beautiful, powerful, intuitive math that lives in your browser. Graph multiple functions in vivid color and watch them update as you type. Save your work to the cloud or share it with friends. Transform your computer or tablet into a math engine. This is just the beginning—and it’s all completely free.
Maths teachers should definitely bookmark this. It’s a totally free resource running in HTML5 so it will even run on your iPad via mobile Safari.
Go take a look at Desmos Graphing Calculator here, and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Read More
Translate this site
About Me
Danny Nicholson : Educator, Science teacher, ICT Consultant, PGCE lecturer, Author and Web2.0 / SMART Masters/ Interactive Whiteboard Trainer. Contact me for any training requests. 
Buy the book!
